Nobel Prize

Throughout her career, Barbara McClintock studied the cytogenetics of maize, making discoveries so far beyond the understanding of the time that other scientists essentially ignored her work for more than a decade. But she persisted, trusting herself and the evidence under her microscope.

Rita Levi-Montalcini began her scientific career in danger, as a Jew in Fascist Italy. She ended it in triumph, as the neuroembryologist who co-discovered nerve growth factor, a prominent figure in Italian politics, and an active researcher and mentor until her death at the age of 103.

From understanding climate change to using AI to better protect our planet. Over the years, the Nobel Prizes have recognised those who have sounded the alarm about the risks humanity is taking – and those who are charting a path towards wiser stewardship of our planet. Here are eleven of these achievements. Connecting the industrial revolution to climate change Svante Arrhenius, chemistry 1903 Prize motivation: “in recognition of…

Elizabeth Blackburn has evolved from a self-described “lab rat” to an explorer in the realms of health and public policy. She discovered the molecular structure of telomeres and co-discovered the enzyme telomerase, essential pieces in the puzzle of cellular division and DNA replication.

Can you imagine not scanning your shopping in the supermarket or waiting to get home to reply to an email? Life-changing breakthroughs made by Nobel Prize laureates over the last 100 years have transformed the way we work and play by enabling a host of helpful electronic devices, while innovations in medicine make daily life…

With one ingenious idea and years of subsequent work, Frances Arnold turned bioengineering upside down. Recognising that nature was “the best bioengineer in history,” she figured out how to let evolution be her partner in the lab. She pioneered the use of directed evolution to design new enzymes, with applications as broad as they are essential, from pharmaceuticals to renewable fuels.

“As a scientist, make sure students become critical thinkers” , Nobel Prize laureate in physics 2020, was joined by nine students from all over the world and from different disciplines within science for a conversation on the topic of being a scientist. Ghez gave her best advice for maintaining a good work-life balance, spoke about…

Every year, the new Nobel Prize laureates are asked to donate objects with special meanings, to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. Here the 2024 Nobel Prize laureates tell the stories behind their chosen objects. “It helped me to write on” Han Kang donated a teacup to the Nobel Prize Museum along with her routines…

Want to know more about works by the literature laureates? The experts behind the Nobel Prize in Literature let you in on their reading recommendations. Books by Han Kang. “The Vegetarian is ’s international breakthrough novel which won the International Booker prize in 2016. It’s the story of a middle aged Korean woman who one night…

For more than a century, Nobel Prize-awarded advances in medicine show that remarkable progress is possible. Learnings from the pandemic was a major topic at the 2024 Nobel Week Dialogue in Stockholm, alongside discussions on emerging risks and scientific breakthroughs.  Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman. Just 15 minutes – that is the amount of time…